Tiny Miracle Brings Big Joy for Christmas

Florida Hospital(ORLANDO, Fla.) — When Connor Sorensen was born six months ago, he weighed less than a pound and his father’s wedding ring fit loosely around his tiny leg. Doctors weren’t sure if he would survive.

Today, he is going home to spend his first Christmas with his family.

Connor was just 14 ounces when he was born on June 29 — that’s two ounces less than a pound. He was only 24 weeks old and the smallest baby ever born at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Fla.

“When Connor was first born, the staff at the hospital suggested we take a lot of pictures,” Connor’s dad Eric Sorensen said, according to a hospital news release. “Because of how small he was, no one was sure if Connor would be able to survive. Someone suggested I put my wedding band around his leg to show how small he was. It is amazing to look back on that photo and see how far he has come.”

Babies born so prematurely often do not survive because their essential organs are too underdeveloped, the hospital said. Connor underwent several surgeries and procedures over his six months at the hospital.

Doctors say he still has a long road ahead of him and will continue to be closely monitored by his pediatrician. But now weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, baby Connor is going home for Christmas.

“Connor is strong and brave and he’s a fighter and he did everything that he could to stay with us so we could reach this day and finally go home together,” his mom, Holly Sorensen, told ABC’s Orlando affiliate WFTV.